Romans 12 Manifesto

So, which one of these phrases best reflect the way you serve together in your worship and technical arts ministry?

A Working Manifesto

We stay in a good mood when "life" happens

We appreciate each other's different talents

We are never be lazy but work hard

We don't think we know it all

We are always ready to serve

We don't sweat the small stuff

We are real, we don't just pretend to love others, we love them deeply

We are transparent and live our lives as openly as we can with each other

We work really hard and take notice when someone else is tired and may need a rest

We are honest and genuine with ourselves and each other

We take care of ourselves and don't trash our bodies the night before we serve

We know the "true worship" test is based on our Monday morning - not our Sunday morning

We are who God has called us to be - boldly!

We want God's creativity so we let Him reinvent the way we think

We discover beauty in everyone

We don't let the world determine our standards

We encourage each other all the time

We expect God!

We find a way to begin every meeting with something great that God has done

We make music with linked arms and connected hearts

We polish our talents and use them for good

We pray before we play, pray while we play, pray after we play, and pray while we're away

We aren't boxed in by what we know, instead we bring into being Heaven's creativity

We remember our individual roles and celebrate others who contribute in their individual roles

Oh that every rehearsal, service, audition, evaluation, planning meeting, and casual interaction would look like this, huh?! What sets your bar? Who gives your teams their expectations? How do people know what's required of them? How do they know that this is different than volunteering for community service?

The Scripture Guides Us

My friend Matt took a gathering of worship leaders through a passage of scripture that seemed almost hand-crafted as a standard for how we are to serve together in worship ministry. It was amazing how applicable the whole chapter of Romans 12 was to our context. He says that he reads the whole chapter with his worship teams twice each year, just to keep the gold standard in front of them.

Well, since then, I've taken several churches through this passage, with the assignment of creating a sort of manifesto. A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions. Each ministry needs common language clearly describing the nature and practice of their desired culture. In simple language, each person needs to know practically how they are supposed to work together.

The list at the beginning of this Fertilizer is a compilation of phrases crafted by worship team members [thanks y'all]. The next time you have an hour with your teams, read through Romans 12 and practically apply the scripture to your ministry context. Write a few phrases that describe the way you want to serve together. Try to write the phrases in normal and practical language, exemplifying your best "non-Christianese" language skills. Post the phrases on your rehearsal space walls, on the covers to your songbooks, in your tech booth, in your mail slots, or wherever your phylacteries are! [see Deuteronomy 6:4-9]

Click here to read Romans 12 in the New Living Translation. [It's pretty cool in The Message translation too!]

It's not just a good idea

So, um, when are you going to do it? Tell me when you do and if you'd like, post your Romans 12 Manifesto here!

Oh, BUDGET!

So does your 2010 budget include funding for training and team development? At least one third of your ministry's budget should be set aside for sowing into your people. Hosting training events, going to conferences together, connecting with a coach, building a library of resources, and going on team retreats should be a significant part of bringing outside voices in to encourage and equip your teams.